During the 2019 Ruritan National Convention held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia, the Holland District received praise and recognition for its Communication efforts with two awards.

Franklin, Virginia - Last month, thousands of Ruritans converged from across the United States on the Hampton Roads Convention Center, less than 50 miles from the location of the Ruritans' humble beginnings in Holland, Virginia (now part of the City of Suffolk) over 90 years ago. Ruritan National has nearly 30,000 members throughout the United States who work to improve more than 1,100 local communities spanning 24 States. Each community is represented by individually chartered "Clubs" which are organized into "Zones" based on their geography and distance. Multiple Zones make up a "District", with 38 Ruritan Districts each working to support their Clubs' and the Ruritan National organization's vision of fostering "fellowship, goodwill, and community service".

On Saturday, January 19th, during the 2019 Ruritan National Convention, the Holland District was recognized and awarded for leading efforts in Communications. The District includes many of the oldest Clubs in Ruritan, including the very first Club to which the District is named for. Comprising 53 Clubs across six Zones from Central Virginia to South Hampton Roads, the Holland District covers a vast territory and includes hundreds to thousands of Ruritans.

In 2018, the Holland District Governor, Phillip Bradshaw, made it his mission to bring the Holland District's communication strategies into the 21st Century. Throughout the year, Governor Bradshaw visited every corner of the Holland District and delivered his message about improving communication to show the communities that Ruritans serve what Ruritan is all about in addition to providing opportunities for non-members to learn more about Ruritan and get involved in their communities by volunteering, becoming a member, or providing support for Ruritan through sponsorships or donations.

Bradshaw's 2018 agenda as the Holland District Governor put an emphasis on digital communications with the revamping of the Holland District Ruritans Website, launch of a print and email newsletter “The Ruritan Eagle”, and increasing outreach through social media with launch of the Holland District’s official Facebook page.

To help in accomplishing these objectives, the Holland District’s 2018 Governor enlisted the services of fellow Ruritan, Tim Bradshaw, and his company Insercorp LTD, headquartered in Downtown Franklin, Virginia. Insercorp is an award-winning, full service creative, web, and managed solutions service provider.

Holland District Wins National Communications Awards

Bringing with him over a decade of professional marketing experience, Tim Bradshaw was appointed as the Marketing & Communications Chair for the Holland District Cabinet and worked with the District Secretary, Martha Byrum, along with Committee Members Jim Henderson and Ashlyn Sampson, to plan, design, and execute the first phase of the District’s new marketing and communications strategy.

Award for District Newsletter

The District’s quarterly publication received a podium finish of 3rd Place for District Newsletters at the National Convention. Through Insercorp’s partnership with Constant Contact, the Holland District was able to take the “Ruritan Eagle” District Newsletter to the next level, delivering important news right into the inbox of hundreds of Ruritans.

As the Holland District’s Newsletter Editor, Martha Byrum extended her gratitude to all of the contributors from across the Holland District who helped make the “Ruritan Eagle” such a success. Pictured, Martha Byrum receives the 3rd Place award for District Newsletter from Ruritan National President, Guy Cox during the National Convention.

Best District Website in Ruritan

Owning up to its reputation in late 2018 Insercorp developed a cutting-edge, interactive website for the Holland District Ruritans replacing its stagnant, templated WordPress website with a completely custom, mobile-friendly platform powered by Insercorp’s proprietary website management platform, iPlasmaCMS2.

During the 2019 Ruritan National Convention, the new Holland District Ruritans Website stole the spotlight with its innovative and intuitive interface and its dynamic content, earning the award for “Best District Website in Ruritan” out of the 38 Ruritan Districts. The new website provides both members and non-members with a wealth of information including Club pages, an interactive District map, Member Directory, Photos, Events, and News.

(Pictured: Ruritan National President Guy Cox presents the award for “Best District Website in Ruritan” to 2018 Holland District Governor Phillip Bradshaw.)

With the first phase of the new website complete the next phase will include providing Clubs access to post their own content directly to their Club pages, making it even easier for Ruritans to stay engaged with their communities and further strengthen the Ruritan mission of “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service”.